Friction draft-rigging for railway-cars.



M. A. ocoNNoR. FRIGTION DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY GARS.v

llog; APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1909. Patented 1,914 f 2 sHnETs-SHIJILTLIZ. v i H95 A f f D G 6' ff Cf? f g u gj in ByMQUMM/A. l

' f #tr/wus IUivrrni). srarns PATENT oFFIoE.

MARTIN A. OCONNOR, F BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO H. MINER COMPANY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FRICTION DRAFT-RIGGINO FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent. i Patente-(1 Apr.. 21, 1914.

Application led .T une 26, 1909. Serial No.504,500.

I specification.

`cal form,

My inventioirrelates to friction draft rigginglfo'r railway cars.

e object of my invention is to provide a friction draft rigging of a strong; simple, efficient and durable construction, having at the same time both a high cushioning capacity and a perfect, certain and reliable release action, free from all liability or danger of the friction devices sticking or failing to properl release, and which will be composed of ew parts of simple form and capable of being manufactured at small cost.

To practically accomplish this object or result and herein my invention consists, I combine with the draw-bar, draft yoke, draft lugs or stop membersand front'and rear followers, a longitudinally movable friction case or shell, preferably of cylindriarranged between the followers and having at one end a plurality of internal friction faces, each slightly slanting or inclined to the. axis of the friction' case or cylinder, the angle being very acute and preferably such as to give a slant of about three sixteenths of an inch in seven inches, and `each of these slightly slantingor longitudinally inclinedinternal friction faces being preferably of cylindric form or a segment of a cylinder; a plurality of coperating longitudinally sliding segmental friction end a blunt wedge face,

shoes, each having an external cylindric friction face fitting and corresponding to one of the internal, friction faces of the case or cylinder, the friction shoes, being adapted to moveinwardly or radiall toward each other to a slight extent as the friction shoes travel or frictionally slide along the slightly slantlin internal friction faces of the case or cyliner as the drawlbar moves back and forth, each of the friction shoes having at its outer preferably about fifty-five degrees; a wed e having a plurality ofcorresponding b'unt wedge faces, one for each of the friction shoes and interposed between the friction case or cylinder and one of the followers; and a spring within lthe friction case or cylinder interposed internal lon `friction shel ,thereby enabling the friction between the opposite end thereof andthe inner end ofthe friction shoes sothat the spring reacts at one end against the friction case or cylinder, and at its opposite end against the friction shoes. tive combination of parts, I find and have demonstrated by my experiments that with a spring of say, twenty-five thousand pounds capacity my friction 4draft rigging will have an exceedingly liiglrcusliioning capacity approximating four hundred thousand pounds resistance, while at the same time the friction devices are entirely free from all tendency or danger to stick and the draft rigging operates with great perfection, certainty and reliability in lits release action. In operation, the blunt faced wedge engaging the blunt wedge faces of the friction shoes acts initially or primarily to forceor hold the friction shoes radially outward from each other and against the surrounding friction case. or shell, while at the same time, as the friction shoes travel longitudinally inward along the slightly slantin friction faceslof said case or shell, the friction shoes are necessarily simultaneously crowded inward by the acute angle inclines of the friction faces of the friction shell, thus creating a very high friction resistance to the inward longitudinal movement of the .shoes along the friction shell in compressing the spring which is interposed between the friction shoesl and friction shell. And in releasing, as the wedge is an ,extremely blunt vfaced one, the instant the blow or pressure of thedraw-'bar is relieved, the blunt faced wedge leaves the friction shoes perfectly free to slightly collapse inward or toward each other, and thus relieve their extremely tight frictional contact or engagement of their external longitudinal friction facesfwith the 'itudinal friction faces of the devices to perfectly, properly, reliably and certainly release without danger Iof sticking or failure to release.

The release action of my outward and the release movement proceeds, by the circumstance that the pressure Vof the shoes against the wedge at their in terengaging wedge faces tendsl to retard the outward radial movement of the shoes against thel slightly slanting and. divergent friction faces of the friction shell.

draft rigging is further facilitated as the friction shoes move And in the cushioning action of my'draft rigging, when the shoes'are being forced inward and the spring compressed, the interengaging blunt wedging` faces of the friction shoes and wedge causes the wedge to act as a safety or relieving device against too high vfrictional resistance being developed between the external friction faces ofthe shoes and the internal friction faces of the shell by permitting the friction shoes to move lradially inward or toward each other and thusre-lieve them from too extreme outward pressure against the friction shell which might otherwise burst the same because `of the extremely acute longitudinal slant of the internal friction faces of the shell. By properly cooperatively adjusting the angle of the interengaging blunt wedge faces of the wedge and friction shoes the governing action of the wedge against developmentof too extreme vpressure and frict-ional resistance between the friction shoes and 'shell may be increased or dimin-I ished as desired or required to prevent all improper or dangerous development of friction. andoutward pressure of the friction shoes against' the friction shell. A washer or wear plate is preferably interposed between the inner 'end ofthe series of segmental friction shoes and the adjacent end of the spring, `and a connecting bolt is preferably provided between the wedge and the opposite end or head of the friction case or cylinder, ythe same serving to hold all the parts assembled within the friction shell and the spring under an initial tension or compression. rl [he inner ends lof the friction 4shoes which engage the wear plate or washer are preferably provided with beveled faces at their outer portions so that the bearing contact of the washer orwear plate against the friction shoes is concentrated near the center orfaxis of the cylinder, as thisconstruc- -tion tends, during the release movement or the'nal part thereof to more certainly restore the outer ends of the friction shoes into .snug engagement with the internal friction faces of the friction shell. Ifthe chief releasing pressure of the spring against the friction shoes were concentrated at the periphe`ry' thereof, it would tend to, tilt 'the outer ends ofthe friction shoes inward or toward each other instead of outward or. away from each other as is done by the concentration of'thereleasin pressure Aagainst the inner corners of the friction shoes.

My invention further consists-in the novel construction of parts and devices and in the novel combinations of parts and device herein shown and described. v

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 'l is a side elevation, partly in central vertical longi- [ernbodyin vmy invention. Fig2 1s a plan- -v1ew part y in horizontal section. '3 is vtudinal section of a friction draft rigging a verticaly cross section on line 3 3 of Fig: 1. Fig.'"4 is a detail cross section of the friction case or cylinder on line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5

is a detail front end view of the friction case,

shoes and wedge. Fig. 6 is a detail rear end view of the friction shell. Fig. 7 is a detail view o-f one of the friction shoes. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the blunt faced wedge. Fig. 9 is a detail view of the removable head, cap or end piece of the friction shell and Fig. 10 is a detail view of the removable spring seat which fits inside the friction shell at the rear end thereof.

In the drawing, A represents thc center sills or other frame members of a car to which mv draft rigging is illustrated as being applied, A1 the frontfor end sill, A2 the carry-iron, B the draw-bar of the coupler, B1 the draft yoke,` C C1 front and rearLfollowers, D draft lug members or stop 'castings secured to the draft sills for the.`,followers to abut aga-inst, the front draft lug"-or stop d, rear draft lug or stop Z1 andlimiting stops (Z2 cl3 the latter two being preferably both formed in one integral member, instead of in separate pieces, and E E1 the cushioning springs. All these parts are or may be of any lsuitable or well known construction.

F is the longitudinal movable friction case or shell, preferably of a generally cylindrical form, and .arranged between the front and rear followers. provided with a plurality, preferably three longitudinally extending internal friction faces f, each inclined at a very acute angle to the axis of the case or cylinder F, thel slant being preferably aboutthree sixteenths of an inch radially in seven inches longitudinally of the cylinder. Each of these friction faces f is preferably cylindric in form, or a segment of a true cylinder, all the segments having a common center f1 at the inner ends of the friction faces, and each of the friction faces being struck at their outer ends about threeseparate centers f2, each about three sixteenths of an inch from the axis or center f1 of the cylinder, thus giving a slight slant to the longitudinal friction faces from their outer ends toward their inner ends.

The'dotted line g4 in Fig. 5, representing the inner end of the friction faces, g g g, where their centers coincide or approach nearer together,indicates the extent of lon. gitudinal slant of the friction faces by the divergence of said dotted line from the adjacent full line to which the letter g is applied and -which shows the curve of the friction faces at their outer or larger ends.

The longitudinally movable se mental friction shoes G are preferably tiree in The friction case F is tudinally slideor travel as the drawsbar moves back and forth` the longitudinal travel of the friction shoes in the friction shell corresponding in amount substantially to that of the draw-bar and draft yoke in each cushioning and releasing movementy of the draft rigging.

The springs E E1 are interposed between' the friction shoes and the friction shell, the same re-acting at one end against the friction shell F and at the opposite end against the friction shoes, a washer or bearing. plate G1 being preferably placed between the inner end of the several friction shoes and the adjacent end of the springs to take the wear and give an even bearing. Each 'of the friction shoes is provided with beveled faces at the outer or peripheral portion of its inner end as indicated at g1 so that this beveled portion will not engage the bearing plate and sothat the engagement of the bearing plate against` the friction shoes will be concentrated at the central, flat right-angle face g2 at the central portion of the inner end of each shoe adjacent to the axis of the cylinder. s

Each of the friction shoes G is provided at itsouter -end withI a blunt Wedge face g1, the angleI thereof being preferably about fifty-five Adegrees more or less, such as to prevent any possibility of any sticking action between the same and the blunt faced wedge H which is interposed between the friction. shoes G and the adjacent follower.

The wedge H is a pyramidal one, or has a series of blunt wedge faces it, one for each of the series of segmental friction shoes G.

The friction case or cylinder F is preferably furnished with a separate piece head, cap or end-piece F1 having a countersink or recess f1 to receive t-he nut K1 of the connecting rod K, and with a spring seat plate F2 which is interposed between the rear end of the springs E E1 and the flange or shoulder f5 of the cylinder or case F and the head or clp F1.

The blunt wedge H has a recess or shoulder z-1 to receive the head K2 of the connecting rod K. The wedge is preferably of a cored out or spider construction as shown in the drawing. i

The followers C slide or reciprocate upon and are supported by removable guides or plates M secured t0 the draft lugs or members D by bolts m.

As in my invention,'the wedge or buffer block H against which the draw-bar acts through the front follower has, its wedge faces arran ed very blunt and acts directly upon the friction the great fricti'onal resistance between the shoes and casing is developed by reason of the exteremely sharp or acute slant of the friction faces of the casing to the axis 'thereof, and not by'reason vof any increase or blocks or shoes G, and asmultiplication of power by the wedge faces of the buffer block or wedge H, the friction shell or casing F is free from all violent bursting strains after the spring has been compressed solid by some extremely. heavy shock of the draw-bar as unavoidably some times happens in practical use. Because' after the springs have once been compressed solid and the friction shoesor blocks G thus prevented from further inward movement, the blunt wedge or buffer block H exerts and can exert but slight transverse or bursting strain upon the casing or cylinder F through the friction shoes G. This I have .demonstrated `by practical test and experiment, the same showing that a friction casing orl shell F six and five eighths inches in diameter and x'eeighths of an inch in thickness in the form of a plain cylindricaly shell, and without any of the customary reinforcing circular ribs or bands to strengthen it against bursting, while resting upon a solid foundation will successfullywithst-and successive blows of a four and one half ton drop hammer at upward of six feet without bursting the casing, and leaving the draft rigging still in operative and serviceable condition. I claim l. In a friction draft rigging, the combination with a draw-bar, draft yoke, draft lugs, spring and followers, of a longitudi nally movable friction shell having a plurality of longitudinally extending and slightly slanting internal friction faces, a plurality of longitudinally movable segmental friction shoes. Within said friction shell, and having each an external friction face conforming to and in sliding frictional engagement with. one of said longitudinally extending and slightly slanting internal friction faces of said shell, each of said friction shoes also having at its outer end a blunt wedge face and a wedge having a plurality of blunt wed e faces, one for and engaging the blunt wege face of each of said friction shoes, said friction shoes being provided `with beveled faces at the outer portions of their inner ends and a bearing plate interposed between the inner ends of the friction shoes and the adjacent end of the spring to concentrate the pressure of the sp'ripg against the central portion of the inner ends of the shoes, substantially as specified.

2. In a friction draft rigging, the combination with a friction case having a plurality of curved internal, slightly slanting, separate and distinct longitudinal cylindrlc friction faces, of a plurality of friction shoes having external curved friction faces engaging the internal friction faces of said case, and provided at their outer ends with blunt angle wedge faces, a-blunt faced wedge bear ing against said 4shoes and a spring reacting at one end against the friction shell and at the other agalnst the friction shoes, the fricshoes having external friction faces engag- I tion face of each of said shoes being in full l ing against said shoes and a spring reacting contact with one of the friction faces of said at one end against the friction shell and at 15 shell in all positions of the shoes as they the other against the friction shoes, a bearmox'e longitudinally back and forth in the ing plate interposed between the inner ends shell, substantially as speciied. V1 of said friction shoes and the adjacent end 3. Ina friction draft rigging, the combiof the spring, the centra-1 portions only of nation with a friction case having a pluthe inner ends of the shoes engaging said 20, rality of internal slightly slanting longtudibearing plate, substantially as specified. nal friction faces, of Va plurality of friction M A'RTl-N A @CONNOR A 4 ing the internal friction faces o f said case, fitnessesz .and provided at their -outer ends With blunt `PEARL ABRAMS, A angle wedge faces, a blunt faced wedge bearl H..M. MUNDAY. 

